1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to modular forms for forming free standing, concrete-filled walls and, more particularly, to modular, pre-insulated forms readily assembled and adapted to receive concrete therein.
The process of forming vertical walls from poured concrete has been known for centuries. The process, while theoretically simple, typically requires highly skilled laborers and expensive forms to accomplish. Forms may be either built for single use or may be formed from modular sections assembled to the required configuration. Upon curing of the concrete wall poured therein, the reusable forms are typically removed and stored for later use on another project.
Insulated concrete walls are sometimes constructed using form assemblies having insulation disposed as a part of the form. The form becomes part of the concrete wall. This type of construction is typically referred to as lost form construction.
Regardless of the type of form utilized to construct a poured concrete wall, two major problems remain. First, the construction or assembly of forms typically requires skilled labor and is time intensive. In addition, a large capital expense is typically required in obtaining reusable forms. There is further expense involved in removing forms from storage, transporting forms to a job site, removing forms once a concrete wall has sufficiently cured, and finally, shipping the forms back to storage. When forms are not properly constructed or set, finished walls may be out of square or plumb, be of the wrong dimension, and/or have bulges or other abnormalities. It is not uncommon have to destroy one or more of the poured walls, reset the forms, and re-pour the concrete. This results in further expense as well as delays in the construction project.
The second problem is that poured concrete walls constructed using forms of the prior art are notoriously difficult to finish.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Several attempts to provide lost form type forms for building concrete filled walls appear in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,718 for FORM FOR USE IN FABRICATING WALL STRUCTURES AND A WALL STRUCTURE FABRICATION SYSTEM EMPLOYING SAID FORM, issued May 17, 1994 to Jan P. V. Trousilek teaches a modular form system utilizing prefabricated plastic forms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,578 for PREFABRICATED FORMWORK issued Jun. 28, 1994 to Claude Chagnon et al. shows a prefabricated, collapsible formwork having flexible connecting elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,262 for PERMANENT PANELIZED MOLD APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CASTING MONOLITHIC CONCRETE STRUCTURES IN SITU, issued Jan. 19, 1999 to Frank. K. Johnson provides a system of interlocking form sections for forming continuous concrete walls, the form sections becoming a permanent part of the finished wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,711 for COMPACTLY-SHIPPED SITE-ASSEMBLED CONCRETE FORMS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE-WIDTH INSULATED-SIDEWALL FASTENER-RECEIVING BUILDING WALLS, issued Jan. 30, 2001 to Andrew Laird et al., teaches yet another system for assembling forms on site to fabricate a lost form concrete wall having a cavity into which reinforcing steel, electrical and/or communications conduits, plumbing, etc. may be placed prior to filling the form with concrete.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,628 for LOAD BEARING BUILDING COMPONENT AND WALL ASSEMBLY METHOD, issued Jul. 24, 2001 to John Griffin teaches another lost form system wherein regularly spaced apart studs help define a cavity into which concrete is poured.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,498 for FORMWORK FOR BUILDING WALLS, issued Nov. 27, 2001 to Salvatore Trovato teaches another modular form system for creating a lost form, concrete filled, insulated wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,683 for INSULATED CONCRETE FORM, issued Apr. 2, 2002 to James Daniel Moore, Jr. shows yet another modular form system for fabricating lost form, concrete filled, insulated walls.
None of the patents and published patent applications, taken singly, or in any combination are seen to teach or suggest the novel free-standing form system for fabricating an insulated, concrete filled wall of the present invention.